


quare

by armethaumaturgy



Series: q-rious [2]
Category: Elsword (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2017-09-30
Packaged: 2019-01-07 04:46:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12226044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/armethaumaturgy/pseuds/armethaumaturgy
Summary: “He had a gun to your face,” Esper empathizes, knuckles going white as they grip onto the metal edges. The money and drugs dig into his thighs through his pants.“A lot of people have had a gun to my face.”“I killed most of them.”





	quare

The tense silence is no stranger to either Sia or Esper. On the contrary, it follows them whenever they make any kind of a deal.

Sia counts the stacks of cash, flipping through the bills to check any fakes stuck inside. Esper stands by his side, one hand on the holster of his gun, the other on the handle of a knife strapped to his thigh. His hawk-like eyes follow any move of their customer.

“This is missing twenty stacks,” Sia announces, raising his gaze from the aluminum suitcase. His eyes bore into the man’s face, expecting an answer.

The answer he gets is not one he expects (though doesn’t he? he’s been doing this long enough to); the dark-haired man draws a gun and poises the muzzle against Sia’s forehead. Sia doesn’t even flinch.

Esper moves in the span of a blink, tackling the man with unmatched momentum. They end up on the floor, the gun falling to the ground with a loud  _clang_. Esper wings the man’s arm behind his back, dislocating it with a sickening  _pop_.

The bodyguard looks up at Sia, question in his eyes as he holds the blade of his knife to the man’s neck. Sia returns the gaze, the corner of his lips raising a little bit. He shakes his head.

Esper’s tense expression falls and he frowns, but he listens to Sia’s request nonetheless and gets off the man’s back with only a little further press of the cold blade.

“Take the cases, Es,” Sia says, still looking down at the man who writhes in pain, clutching at his arm. “Both of them.”

“You got it,” Esper replies, closing the case with the money and scooping both of them under one arm to keep the other free to use his gun. The weight of it in his palm is reassuring, even if Sia doesn’t allow him to pull the trigger and end the life of the man who had tried to scam them.

“I’ll let you go, this time,” Sia addresses the man — whose fake name he doesn’t even remember anymore — digging his heel into the small of his back, “As a warning. Try to pull this shit again and I won’t stop at only you.”

With that said and an extra kick to the man’s ribs, sending him into a fits of cries, Sia turns to leave, Esper in tow, holding the cases and looking around vigilantly.

Sia takes the wheel this time, letting Esper sit in the passenger seat with the cases. The quiet roar of the car’s engine fills the silence; Esper stares out, making sure the man doesn’t have any accomplices that would dare follow them.

“Why didn’t you let me kill him?” Esper asks, brows drawing together.

“It’s fine. Maybe he’ll learn. And others, too.”

“He had a gun to your face,” Esper empathizes, knuckles going white as they grip onto the metal edges. The money and drugs dig into his thighs through his pants.

“A lot of people have had a gun to my face.”

“I killed most of them.”

“You did,” Sia nods. Esper catches another half-smile in his boss’ profile.

Silence ensues between them again, broken only by Esper a full few blocks later. “I want to go back and finish him.” It’s quiet, but Sia looks over nonetheless.

His reply is just as quiet. “I know.”

Never does their warehouse base feel more welcoming than after a job. The garage doors open slowly and Sia pulls them inside, stopping the engine and unlocking the door with a  _click_.

Esper follows the taller man up the metallic stairs to the upstairs transformed into a penthouse. Esper’s eyes narrow as soon as he notices the lack of a guard stationed at the front door. He extends an arm to stop Sia, handing over the suitcases while pulling out his gun again. It’s been so long since he’d had to use it this soon after a job. “Stay on the stairs, I’ll give you the clear. If you don’t hear a clear in two minutes, get out.”

Sia doesn’t reply, but he scoots backwards a little, letting Esper unlocks the door as quietly as he can. There’s still a small squeak as it creaks open.

Esper sneaks in, holding out his gun and steadying it with the other hand. He stops in the living room, pointing at the person sitting on the couch. Their red hair stands out against the gray cushions; they look right at home, sprawled out and relaxed, with some video playing on a table propped on the coffee table.

“Who’re you? What’re you doing in here?” Esper questions, cocking his gun. Both of them know the safety is already off.

“Me? Who’re you?” the person asks and Esper blinks. They sound younger than they look, and they look pretty young.

Esper is about to fire a warning shot when Sia barges in, face set into the most surprised look Esper had ever seen on him. Wide eyes zero in on the redhead on their couch and he gasps.

“Infi,” he breathes, incredulous.

Esper side eyes him, frowning, but still holding up his gun. He cocks it again instead of an inquiry.

“Esper, put it down. Actually, can you go guard the door?” Sia tells him and Esper takes one last look at ‘Infi’ before he begrudgingly holsters his gun and slinks out of the penthouse.

He leaves the door open just in case, and plucks his cigs from his pocket, tugging one out and rolling it between his fingers. His ears strain to listen, even as he flicks his lighter and takes the first drag.

In the living room, Infi walks up to Sia who looks down at him with a mixture of bewilderment and disbelief. “Is it… really you?” he finds himself asking, more of a whisper than anything else.

“You cried when you killed a man for the first time and I had to hold you for an hour afterwards,” Infi says without hesitation, smiling lopsidedly and holding out his arms in an invitation of a hug.

Sia steps forward and wraps his arms about Infi. The shorter man hugs back, squeezing tickly. “I thought you were dead,” Sia whispers into Infi’s unstyled, soft hair.

“I was looking for sis,” Infi says when they finally separate. “Found her, came back. I’m sorry to not have kept you up to speed.”

Esper flicks his cigarette butt onto the ground and stomps it out, slipping in through the door. No matter who Infi is, Sia can’t miss his meeting with the local drug lord or their supply will be cut short.

He raps his knuckles against the doorframe to announce his presence. “Sia, you need—”

His voice dies in his throat as he takes in the scene in the living room. Infi has Sia pulled down by the front of his shirt, their lips smashed together in a messy kiss.

They do seem to take notice of him, though, because they part with a wet smack. Sia turns to him. “Yeah?”

His face is flushed and lips swollen from the kissing. Esper’s fingers tighten around his lighter, clenching and unclenching sporadically.

“You have a meeting with the Commander in two hours. That’s all I wanted, just so you don’t forget,” Esper says, fighting so his face doesn’t scrunch up. He doesn’t wait for a dismissal and disappears back out of the penthouse.

Another cigarette finds its way into his mouth, lit and bitter on his tongue. The smoke flits through the air.

The long drags muffle his sobs.

He had never hated anyone faster than this redheaded boy.

“Who even is that?” Infi asks curiously.

Sia’s eyes are trained to the door, even though Esper is long gone. He’s right, though, he needs to go and meet with the Commander. “That’s Esper,” he says. He feels a little more than a little numb and his mouth tastes like fire and Infi now. “He’s my bodyguard… I took over when you disappeared…”

Infi hums, sensing something is wrong. Sia might look a little different now, with longer hair and without his signature braid and eyes darker than he remembers, but he’s still the same and right now, he’s worrying about the bodyguard.

“So a bodyguard has a bodyguard, huh?” Infi teases, but Sia doesn’t laugh. Infi frowns. Something really is up.

Sia sighs, tucking a strand of long hair behind his ear. “Well, since you’re back.. you have a meeting with the Commander in two, just like Esper said. Let me put these away and we can go.”

Infi doesn’t argue, if only because Sia is so quiet. When they finally leave the base, Esper throws his cigarette onto the ground and steps on it almost gingerly. The circles under his eyes seem a little deeper all of a sudden.

“Esper,” Sia says, getting his attention. “We’re now bodyguards for Infi.”

Esper’s violet eyes flick to the redhead. He swallows a lump in his throat. “Alright.”

“Let’s go to Raven, then,” Infi says with a grin, descending the stairs already.

Sia falls into step, but Esper takes a second more. “Yeah,” he mutters, twisting the lighter inside his pocket around and around.

He feels like puking when he gets into the car again, this time into the back, alone.


End file.
